He goes by the name of G Eazy. His music is characterized by a whimsical, vintage tune, underlaid with a deep soulful bass, tinged with an old-school vibe.

Gerald Earl Gillum transformed into the up and coming rapper named G Eazy when he released his version of the ‘60s song “Runaround Sue.” Born and raised in Oakland, Calif. Eazy released his first hit in 2011 at the age of 21 according to g eazy.com.

“Runaround Sue” was a new rendition of the 1961 Dion anthem. By playing up his James Dean-like looks and cavorting around in the style of Dion, Eazy pushed the song onto the charts in 2011, as part of his first album, “Endless Summer.”

Since then, Eazy has experienced a flurry of success from his hit song “Marilyn” to his popular duet with artist Hoodie Allen, “Lady Killers.” Eazy’s discussion of historical events from 50 years ago, is intriguing to all who listen.

“I wish we could just pretend to be. Like we always were before as happy as the Kennedy’s,” G eazy said in his song “Marilyn.” “No one told Jackie about Marilyn’s tendencies. Ignorance is bliss when you’re married half a century.”

Eazy tastefully alludes to the affair that President John Fitzgerald Kennedy had with Marilyn Monroe, while at the same time commenting on the timelessness of the common adage “Ignorance is bliss.”  Eazy’s remarks on marriage and relationships serve to add deeper meaning to his catchy lyrics.

On April 9, Eazy visited the Granada in Lawrence, Kan. The Granada is an intimate, yet loud venue for concerts and is popular with students who attend KU. Despite the concert’s location, it attracted not just college students, but a large amount of high school aged students as well, proving that Eazy speaks to a wide range of listeners.

The energy of the crowd was palpable, as people screamed out the lyrics and gyrated around in attempts to dance to the beat. The show was sold out, which meant that there was barely enough room to stand. Even with the hot, sweaty atmosphere of bodies pressed against each other, the concert was alive.

Eazy did an amazing job of playing not only to those in the front row, but to those on the sides and at the back of the crowd. At one point in his song, he even threw out dollar bills to re-inject excitement after a somber ballad.

Eazy knew exactly how to go out with a bang. He used a confetti machine, and balloons with the words “These things happen,” written on them to signal the end of his set. As the lights fell, and everything went dark, the adrenaline flow from his performance never wavered as the crowd chanted for an encore.

Despite the lights staying black, and the crowd moving as it was ushered to the exits, it was evident that the G Eazy experience was not one that anyone would forget.